


Mistakes

by wanderingminstrel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Animal Transformation, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-19 03:09:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13695627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingminstrel/pseuds/wanderingminstrel
Summary: Being the only shifter on the volleyball team, Lev radiates his lion nature, from his scent to his speech to his smile.Yaku worries Lev might realize that he's not the only shifter on the team after all.





	Mistakes

**Author's Note:**

> In this world, shifters are those magically endowed with the ability to change into animals at will. As it is a magical transformation, they do not shed their clothes to do so. Shifters are considered abnormal and the ability to shift can either be a feature of birth or inherited from one's parents. However, shifters are treated like regular people and are considered a variance of human existence, albeit their athletic potential may be notably higher than that of non-shifters.

The first time—the very, very first time—Yaku meets Lev, it's preceded by the harrowing feeling of falling out of a tree and into a river. Climbing the tree is the single dumbest thing he's ever done as a cat, only seconded to getting stuck there after batting the volleyball down. Slipping isn't the dumbest thing he's ever done as a cat, however. It's the dumbest thing he's ever done as a living, soon-to-be-not-living, creature.

Against all odds, he hits the water back first and flounders. He can't swim. He's too panicked to transform. The concrete barriers have no leverage. There's no one around. He's going to drown.

Something hits the water behind him with enough force that it creates its own wave, sending Yaku towards the barrier, where his claws scrabble uselessly. He isn't sure whether he's more scared of the water or the creature that's joined him. What if it's a dog?

Teeth close around the scruff of his neck and pull him upwards and he curls reflexively, small, making himself into a kitten-esque ball in hopes that whatever it is doesn't eat him. He can feel hot puffs of breath against the back of his ears. It doesn't sound human.

The creature launches itself against the concrete, bounces back against the opposite wall, and then uses that momentum to leap the fence. Yaku is full-body shuddering with terror by the time they land.

It gently puts him down. A rough tongue runs over the top of his head sympathetically.

Yaku turns a little and his ears flatten instantly.

It's a lion.

A wet, silvery-white lion with intensely green eyes. It looks like something out of a dream. And it's staring him down with such weight that Yaku presses small to the sidewalk and tries to remember how to breathe.

He hears human voices and the lion turns its head. Yaku takes that moment to run. He's fast, he thinks, because he flees the lion. Distance is no match for adrenaline and he makes it back to his neighborhood without issue when normally he would have taken the train.

He forgets about the volleyball he left behind. There's no way he's going back for it. He'll buy a new one.

.

When Lev joins the team, Yaku recognizes him instantly.

The green of his eyes is too startling. The silver of his hair is too familiar. But, more than that, his scent is a booming rush. The humans can't pick up on its sheer loudness, but Yaku can. It's a lion's roar in aroma form. It encompasses everywhere he goes, it changes the taste of his surroundings, and it exudes confidence as if Lev is incapable of keeping all of that emotion in his body alone.

It isn't hard to find out where Lev lives, with his position on the team. It isn't hard to find his neighborhood. To watch. To wait. He needs to know for sure. He needs some confirmation beyond the obvious. Or, at least that's what he tells himself.

So, he sits on a fence and waits. To the humans, he's nothing more than a stray, orange tabby watching the street with interest.

When Lev sees him sitting there as he's headed home, the boy's entire body lights up.

"You!" He says, running up to the wall. His scent emanates off of him; he might as well be wearing a crown for how bright it is. "Did you come here just to see me? How did you find me?"

Lev seems to remember himself suddenly.

"Oh! And are you okay? You weren't hurt after that fall, were you? I wanted to check for sure, but you ran away! Did I scare you? I'm really sorry if I scared you!"

Yaku feels as annoyed as he does at practice. Lev is just as loud and boisterous, but with cat ears he's even louder. Yaku's forced to wonder if he even knows how to be quiet or if it's just not in his nature.

Lev's looking at him, head tilted slightly, thinking. "Are you a shifter… or a real cat?" He wonders aloud. "I thought you were a shifter before, but you're not responding."

Oh. Yaku wonders if Lev's not all that familiar with cat shifters, then. He was sure Lev would simply smell him and know, but then again Yaku's own parents weren't shifters and he only knows one or two in person. He's never bothered to ask them what he smells like. But, Yaku can tell a shifter by scent, typically. Is Lev different?

Yaku snaps back to reality when he finds Lev clicking his tongue and making 'here kitty kitty' motions at him with his hand. He's freakishly tall, so his fingers are a couple feet away, hovering over the top of the fence.

He must have decided that Yaku's a real cat.

And so, Yaku makes mistake number two: he indulges Lev.

It's curiosity, mostly. He approaches the fingers and sniffs. Lev's scent is overwhelming at its source, but his hand also smells like volleyball and court and sweat. And, to someone like Yaku, that's a nice smell. It's a combination he, himself, takes immense comfort in.

The fingers disappear from before him and then suddenly they're massaging the space between his ears and Yaku feels himself _melt_. His toes flatten and his tail twitches and a purr instantly springs up in his throat and he can't help himself. Whoever taught Lev how to do this is a literal god and Yaku feels like a gooey lump of fur-covered gelatin. It's instantly the most relaxed he's felt in a long time.

When the fingers stop, Yaku looks at Lev, having to stop himself from meowing in disappointment and demand for more.

Lev's beside himself with happiness, although he's not looking at Yaku directly. "I'm really glad you're not scared of me," he says. His green eyes flick up to Yaku, almost shy. "And you seem like you're doing well! I'm really, really glad!"

He flashes a grin at Yaku that makes it suddenly hard to breathe.

"I need to go do my homework, but I hope I see you again!" He tells him.

And then Lev's gone.

And Yaku's left with an ache in his chest and an embarrassingly long trek home.

.

The floor of the court rises up to meet Yaku and when he hits the first thing he thinks is how nice and cool it feels against his skin.

His third mistake is going to school with a budding cold.

"Yaku-san!" Lev's voice is louder than the rest, amongst the din of concern, but Yaku's feverish so it pounds in his skull, overbearing. "Yaku-san! Yaku-san, are you okay?"

Yaku hears Kuroo hush Lev and then he's out of it when someone's assigned to carry him to the nurse's office. He can't even register their scent because his nose isn't working anymore and the world has suddenly tipped, gone woozy and he's lost his handle on it. When he's placed into a bed and tucked in, he doesn't know who's done it.

In his dreams, Lev's lion gaze is boring into him and then he starts to lick Yaku, who's a cat. And he keeps running his tongue over his face, until Yaku feels like he's going to suffocate from wet heat. He wakes up kicking and sweating, a headache buzzing behind his eyes, and then he falls asleep again.

He ends up at home, somehow. It's the next day and his fever has broken, but he doesn't remember very well what happened. When he returns to school, Kuroo tells him that Lev took him to the nurse's and stayed with him, but that's all he knows.

Lev seems to be watching him more closely now and Yaku's too unnerved to ask why.

.

Yaku stares blankly at the top of Lev's head, mostly because he's not sure why Lev is offering it. Lev raises slightly, eyes flicking up to meet his, before he lowers his gaze again. It's like he's bowing, but he clearly isn't.

After a hesitant moment, Yaku pats his hair, as if to say 'there, there'.

He isn't expecting Lev's fingers to snap up and clutch his wrist when he goes to pull away. Even Lev looks slightly embarrassed at himself and releases it.

"Sorry, I was just really happy Yaku-san petted me!" Lev says enthusiastically, garnering snickers from their teammates.

"Is petted even the right word?" Yaku complains, unsure of what else to say. The entire team knows what Lev is, even if they don't know what Yaku is. Lev told them, like the proud idiot that he is, although Yaku can hardly blame him. Being a lion is kind of cool.

"What is this now?" Kuroo laughs. "Is he your housecat?"

"Yup!" Lev says. Yaku can only assume he's playing into the joke.

He kicks him hard in the leg for his effort.

.

Against his better judgement, Yaku returns to Lev's neighborhood during a break in after school practice. It's only four days, but not seeing the other student after class has put him on edge. He doesn't like change. He never has.

When Lev sees him, he lights up completely, rushing over to the fence in great bounds.

"Oh, you— you came back!"

He's practically radiating excitement this time and it makes Yaku feel good in a guilty pleasure kind of way. This is better. This is setting things right.

Lev grins at him, luminous, before he says, "Do you want to come inside? And have something to eat?"

Yaku stares at him. He's not sure why Lev's asking that kind of thing from a cat, but when the lion shifter puts out his arms he steps into them anyway. It's extremely awkward, being picked up by the back of his forelegs, but Lev scoops an arm under him and cradles him like he's a baby. Yaku doesn't know how to feel about that either, but it's damned comfortable.

The lion takes him into his home and… everything smells of him. Lion. Lev. It's thick and cocooning and it makes some strange part of Yaku feel safe, like he's in the den of a majestic alpha that can ward off all threat.

Lev doesn't put him down as he shrugs off his bag and toes off his shoes, entering a luxurious kitchen and pulling some cooked chicken out of a container from the fridge. He even heats it up a little, still holding Yaku all the while, until he puts the plate on the counter and carefully places Yaku next to it.

Then, Lev pulls up the chair and watches him with this unabashed sort of happiness.

Yaku doesn't know what else to do, so he eats the chicken.

"I'm really happy you came back again," Lev talks to him as he eats. "I thought maybe you were scared off by my personality this time!" He laughs at his own joke. Yaku feels unsettled that Lev would say that about himself, even if it's kind of true. "But you came back, so you like it here, huh? You like me."

Luckily, Yaku doesn't need to answer that question. He's 'just a cat'.

Lev proceeds to ramble to him as he finishes the chicken, talking about everything from the weather, to his walk home, to the show he's looking forward to watching. Yaku wonders why he doesn't talk about volleyball and feels a pit in his stomach. But, Lev's fingers find the space between his ears again and Yaku ends up spending the afternoon lying on his lap in front of the television. He thinks he could spend a lot of afternoons like this, if he thought Lev wouldn't hate him for being such a creep.

.

Lev's habit of presenting his head for pets extends itself, inappropriately, to a real match just after the lion's performed such a brutal spike that the other team is still reeling from it. Yaku's lowered his water bottle from taking a drink when Lev bows at him and he can just _feel_ the audience murmuring with gossip as he reflexively begins to put his hand up to pet him.

He stops himself, face heating, and flicks Lev's forehead instead.

"Lev, no."

When Lev looks up at him, Yaku's heart clenches at the dismay in his eyes. But, there's nothing he can do, because immediately Lev stands upright, accepting this, and goes to get his own water.

.

This time, Yaku sits conspicuously before Lev's front gate.

Lev's gaze is down-turned when he notices him, expression crestfallen from the loss just hours ago, but he blinks at the sight of Yaku, as if he's not understanding what he's seeing. Then, a smile curls on his lips, but it's not his normal smile.

He looks… touched. His eyes are crinkled. And there's sadness, but happiness too now.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Lev asks him, kneeling down. He reaches a hand out to scratch Yaku's head.

Before his fingers can make contact, Yaku butts his head into Lev's hand, rubs his cheek along his fingers, and purrs loudly, deliberately, like marbles clattering around inside a kettle. Lev freezes.

Then, at once, Lev scoops him up and carries him inside. Yaku expects the kitchen or the living room, but instead Lev takes him up to his bedroom. He doesn't even turn on the lights or shut the door, he just flops onto his bed with Yaku and lies there.

Yaku's never seen Lev deal with pain before. He's unable to imagine it. But as Lev is quiet, unmoving, eyes closed and nose pressed into the fur of Yaku's neck, he finds reality is worse than what he could have come up with. Lev's not crying, but he's not saying anything either. He's extremely still. He breathes in Yaku like he's grounding himself.

It's late in the day and somehow Yaku ends up unable to will himself to leave until morning. He's just lucky his parents are understanding of his absence.

.

The dog's growl makes the Nekoma team jump.

"What's up with that thing?" Kuroo mutters, annoyed. Kenma's watching it too now.

Yaku's frozen.

He hates dogs. He's always hated dogs. If they only bothered him when he was a cat, he would have accepted that much. But, they _know_ cats even when they don't look like cats. They can smell them. They can see through a shifter. And Yaku's almost convinced he produces some kind of aura that screams 'chase me, I'm prey'.

His heart is pounding so hard it might as well be in his throat.

It's after practice and the majority of them have headed out to a store for snacks. Lev, who volunteered, is inside buying them. Yaku's never been along this path before. He knows, looking at the dog that's watching them, that he's not coming back down it again.

Kenma looks at Yaku just before Kuroo does, as if the two are connected by some kind of silent communication link.

"Hey, you okay?" Kuroo asks.

"Yeah," Yaku lies. He's stiff and his fingers are trembling and he's sweating, but it shouldn't be that obvious, should it? "I just—,"

The dog barks, loud. Threatening. Yaku jolts.

Yamamoto growls back like he's just been personally challenged by a dog.

"I'm… going to see what's taking Lev so long," Yaku manages, before ducking into the store. He practically bumps into Lev himself when he enters. The other boy blinks at him, eyes wide and taking him all in, as if he's seeing something that Yaku can't.

Suddenly, Lev's hugging Yaku tightly to his chest, as if he knew all about the dog and his scattered nerves.

Lev's scent combined with the sound of the lion's heart calms him down and after about fifteen seconds Yaku manages to force himself to pull away out of embarrassment and bewilderment.

.

Yaku's fourth mistake was almost getting hit by a car.

He wants to see Lev. It radiates through his entire being. He wants to see him. The school break is too long. It's lonely at home. And the tension builds until he can't take it anymore and he finds himself scampering through streets and side streets to get to Lev's neighborhood.

The concrete is cool underfoot as he leaps out from a bush. All of the fur on his body suddenly stands on end at the _screeeeehhh_ sound that fills the empty air.

He flattens down and a car goes over him. He can feel the metal brush the tip of his tail before he has the sense to tuck it between his legs.

Yaku's pressed so hard against the street he feels he might become one with it. Worse, he feels like he almost just _did_.

Someone picks him up and suddenly he's turned around to face Lev's bright, worried gaze. Lev takes him to the sidewalk and sniffs him, checking for injuries. When he finds none, his expression becomes one Yaku's never seen directed at himself before:

Anger.

It makes Yaku press into himself tighter from how he's curled.

"Do you have any idea how _dangerous_ that was?" Lev's saying—shouting. "You could have died!"

Yaku knows that. He really, really knows that.

"Do you know how hard it would be to play volleyball without you, Yaku-san? I would be too sad! I don't know if I could do it! You would never get to play again!" Lev's shaking him now, but Yaku is dazed by his words. He isn't comprehending what Lev is saying. "Why can't you just come to my house normally from now on? People will be less likely to hit you if you're human! And then you can be a cat when you get there; I won't mind, I promise!"

Suddenly, his life or death situation feels like nothing compared to the realization that Lev knows he is the orange tabby—that Lev knows Yaku Morisuke is a cat shifter who's purred at his hands.

All he can do is stare at him.

Then, _'You knew?'_

Lev pouts a little as his scolding is ignored, but relents. "Well, I didn't know at first. But, when you had that fever you turned into a cat and then cried and cried in your sleep and so I shifted too and laid down with you, since you seemed like you were in pain…"

Yaku doesn't remember that at all. He's horrified at himself to have to believe it, too. But, Lev would never just make something like that up and he _knows_ that. _'Why didn't you say anything?'_

"Well… after, I just thought maybe you were shy. And I thought you… knew that I knew…" There's a considering look on Lev's face for a second. "Then, when I realized that you didn't, I… thought I would just let you tell me when you were ready."

 _'I wasn't going to tell you,'_ Yaku says.

Lev's expression is wry. He sighs, then pulls Yaku into his arms and starts walking.

Now that Lev knows he's a cat, he feels a little more disgruntled at being carried. _'Where are you taking me?'_

There's quiet as Lev doesn't answer right away. Then he says, "My house."

 _'I didn't agree to go,'_ Yaku protests.

"Weren't you heading there?" Lev guesses correctly.

Yaku says nothing.

He allows Lev to carry him in silence for a few minutes.

Eventually he says, _'Sorry.'_

He feels Lev's grip tighten slightly, but subtly, like he's trying not to actually squeeze him at all. He wonders if Lev feels self-conscious now too. "You scared me."

Yaku is silent.

"You really scared me, Yaku-san. When that car went over you, I thought…" He trails off as he stops walking suddenly. "I thought I would have lost you forever. And that really, really scared me. I want to spend more time with you and I would never get to again. I would never see Yaku-san again."

Suddenly, the terror of what could have happened to him seeps in again, but Yaku's focused on Lev.

 _'... Lions get scared?_ ' It's a weak comment. It's not even a joke. Yaku isn't sure why he says it, but he's surprised all the same.

"I get scared a lot," Lev admits, beginning to walk again.

Yaku is scared too. He's scared that he almost died. He's scared that Lev knows what he's been doing as a cat. He's scared what happens when Lev stops walking and they have to face this situation for real.

"But, having Yaku-san nearby makes me feel braver," Lev adds.

 _'Why?'_ He asks before he even thinks about asking.

Lev's smiling to himself now. Yaku doesn't need to look up to know it. He can feel it. He can smell it in the lion shifter's scent. It pops and flickers like tiny fireflies.

"Because, I think… I can face anything easily, when compared to telling Yaku-san my feelings for him."

Yaku's gaze shoots up to Lev's face and it's red at the edges, an awkward and wholly embarrassed smile on his closed lips. From the tension in his arms, Yaku can tell that he's not going to be able to look down at him. He's practically buzzing with nervousness.

 _'Lev…'_ Yaku says slowly.

"Yes?" There's just the barest hint of a waver in Lev's voice.

_'I'll come over to your house as a human from now on.'_

It's not the answer Lev desperately wants and Yaku knows that. He can't give him _that_ answer yet. But, it seems as though Lev understands what he's saying, because a grin surges to life on his face and suddenly his scent sparkles with sheer elation and relief.

Yaku can't help thinking that his smile is just as loud as his scent.

He hopelessly wants to sink into both and never surface.


End file.
